The present invention relates generally to articulating doors for motor vehicles, and more particularly to a checkstrap assembly operative to positively locate a passenger door in an infinite number of positions between a fully open position and a closed position.
In a conventional manner, passenger doors of motor vehicles are pivotally mounted to the vehicle body for movement between a fully open position and a closed position. Many such vehicle doors are designed to cooperate with a checkstrap which is operative for positively locating the door relative to the vehicle body. Additionally, on sloped surfaces, the checkstrap provides a mechanism to hold the door in its open position. Typically, a vehicle door will have an intermediate point between fully open and fully closed where the door will rest in a stable fashion. In situations where a space laterally adjacent to a passenger door prohibits the door from fully opening, opening of the door to the intermediate position may reduce incidents of unintentional damage.
In one common form, prior checkstraps for vehicle doors include a roller mounted to the vehicle body and an arm contoured to cooperate with the roller which is carried by the vehicle door. In this regard, the arm is formed to include one or more camming surfaces. The roller functions as the cam follower. As the door is moved between its fully opened position and its closed position, the arm remains in constant engagement with the roller. When the door is gently opened or closed, the cam surfaces of the arm and the roller cooperatively function to positively define an intermediate position at which the door may be located relative to the vehicle body.
While known arrangements are commercially acceptable, they are also limited with specific disadvantages and thereby subject to improvement. In this regard, the common roller camming arm configuration provides one set intermediate position which the door can securely rest. Usually the camming surface encourages the door to rest in one of the defined locations. This situation often requires the operator to hold the door when the defined locations are not acceptable. Often the intermediate position may not be in an optimal location for a given situation. It may be desired to open the door securely in a position greater or less than the set intermediate point and leave it thereby unassisted.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a door check assembly for a passenger door of a motor vehicle having an infinite amount of secure door locations between the fully closed and fully open position.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a door check assembly for a passenger door of a motor vehicle having a minimal amount of resistance.
In order to obtain these and other objects, a first embodiment of the present invention provides a door checkstrap assembly for a door of a vehicle which is movable in relation to a frame between a closed position and an open position. The checkstrap assembly includes an arm passing through an aperture in the closure member. The arm has a first end interconnected to the frame and a second end retained within the door such that the door may be selectively moved relative to the arm. The cam arm and roller configuration cooperate such that an elastically deformable material is encountered at the interface point.
According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the check assembly includes a hinge connecting the door to the frame of the vehicle. The hinge includes a roller biased against a uniform camming surface. The hinge is configured such that an elastically deformable material is encountered at the interface point.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.